Op-ed: "Soldiers, Families, and the Uncertainty," (The Tennessean)

May 25, 2009, by Bart Gordon

Eight days ago, 35 soldiers from the Middle Tennessee area left Nashville for Iraq where they joined the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 105th Personnel Company.  As it was described in a Tennessean article, the soldiers “hugged their mothers, kissed their children goodbye and marched off to war.” 

Reading this reminded me of something I learned from my grandmother. 

When I was a boy, I asked my grandmother about a small flag in her house.  It had a thick red border and two blue stars on a white background.  During World War II, she explained, those with family members in the armed services hung these “Service” flags in a window of their home.  Each blue star represented a family member fighting abroad in the war.  My grandmother’s flag had one blue star for my father and another for my uncle.

While this practice was popular during World War I and II, it has since become part of our history.  The tradition, though, was a good one.

When soldiers go into battle, the unavoidable consequence is they leave their families behind.  A burden of worry is no doubt felt by each member of their family – by their parents, spouses and children – while the soldier is away.  All the family members can really do is hope and pray for their safe return. 

These small cotton flags, however, let neighbors know what the soldiers’ families were going through, and I can’t help but think they enhanced the support the community directed at the agonizing families.

Today is Memorial Day, dedicated to honoring the soldiers who have lost their lives while defending our nation and our freedoms.  During World War II, according to my grandmother, when a soldier lost his life in battle, his family would replace the blue star on the small flags with a gold one.

On this Memorial Day, and in the days and weeks to come, it is my hope you will consider reaching out and offering support to families that have soldiers serving abroad – whether it is a neighbor or someone you know through church or a local organization. 

As we all struggle with the uncertainties associated with the current economic climate, these families have the added burden of dealing with the uncertainty associated with a loved one away from home, off in war.  Sometimes the best support someone can give is just being there to listen.

While I have strongly supported every measure that has come up in Congress to improve the armor and protection given to each soldier, I recognize that in war, there are no guarantees. 

To each family with a soldier in battle, our nation not only appreciates the sacrifice your loved one is making, but thank you for enduring the uncertainties that come with their deployment.   

And, to each family who has lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, our nation is forever grateful for their sacrifice and indebted to you.

Congressman Bart Gordon of Murfreesboro represents Tennessee's 6th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.